Las Vegas man accused of killing roommate and living with body for 'extended period of time'

July 30 (UPI) -- A 31-year-old Las Vegas man is accused of killing his female roommate and living with her dead body for months.

George Bone was arrested on Wednesday after Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a report of a woman deceased inside a residence in the 5300 block of Railroad River Ave.

Police later determined that her death was the result of a homicide, according to a police report.

Bone is being held in the Clark County Detention Center for open murder.

The victim has been identified as Beverly Ma.

Bone told police that he was aware that Ma was dead and he knew the cause of her death before he was taken into custody, KLAS-TV reported. Her body remained in a closet for about two months.

Bone and Ma were reportedly friends who knew each other from high school and developed a romantic relationship in 2019.

Her body was discovered after Bone led a witness to it. They had inquired about an unusually high air conditioning bill and Bone showed them to a cooler near the bedroom closet door. He allowed them to open the cooler where the body was contained.

Bone told police he placed Ma's body in a cooler in the basement so he would be alerted if she rose from the dead like in the movie The Grudge.

After her death, Bone allegedly used her money, Amazon account and phone. He told police he did not call police or emergency services after Ma's death because he was afraid of going back to jail.

Ma called 911 on May 4 at about 4:40 a.m., but the line went dead after dispatchers heard a man and woman screaming, WSAZ reports. Police responded to the residence and knocked on the door but nobody answered.

Bone alleged that he found Ma in the closet with a belt around her neck in May, but police did not find evidence to support this claim. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.